Watch Over You
by lunalongbottom2448
Summary: All angels had the same mission drilled into their heads from the first moments of their creation. Guard the humans.
1. Prologue

All angels had the same mission drilled into their heads from the first moments of their creation.

Guard the humans.

It was their one true purpose in life, a task set for them by God himself, and they began their training immediately to prepare for the day when they would finally become full Guardians.

The training could take hundreds of years, sometimes thousands. No matter how prepared the angels felt to complete their training, they would still have to wait until, at long last, they were each called away by one of their superiors and given their own place among the ranks of the Guardians.

Despite how long it took, the angels were patient, choosing to focus on their studies rather than complain about the wait. They were taught all about the lifestyles, behaviors, emotions, and motivations of humans, and they learned as much as they could in the hopes that the knowledge would speed up the process of their advancement.

However, this never happened. There was no pattern to who was picked next, at least not one that the trainees knew. But a few, seemingly random, angels from every garrison were selected throughout each year to become Guardians, as the rest of their brothers and sisters looked on with admiration and occasional hints of envy.

Castiel had watched for millennia as his siblings were all led away, one by one, to become Guardians. He had waited the longest of all the angels in his garrison, yet somehow he was still the most patient. And whenever his siblings returned to the barracks after their busy days of watching over their humans, he devoured all of their stories with endless curiosity.

Anna, his favorite sister, told him the most stories. She told him all about her charge, a teenage girl named Elizabeth. She could talk for hours about all of Elizabeth's highs and lows, including her excitement at her sixteenth birthday party, her heartbreak at the death of her first pet dog, and the thrill of her first kiss. And she told him how fulfilling it was to help Elizabeth through all these experiences and experience them with her.

These were the times when Castiel was both the happiest and the least content.

He loved hearing about the humans his siblings guarded, and he never uttered a single word of complaint, but he found it harder with every passing day to suppress the growing traces of bitterness he felt at the length of his wait. He wanted nothing more than to have a human of his own to care for and help, and he couldn't understand why he hadn't been chosen yet. He could only assume he was doing something wrong, but he couldn't imagine what. He studied as diligently as he was able to, learning every nuance of human emotion, thought, and culture, until he was so familiar with them that they might as well have been his own. But he knew that it made no difference in the end, and still he waited.

And it was the natural frustration that came from so many years of work with no reward that made the day when Castiel was finally approached by an Archangel the happiest of his life.


	2. Initiation

Castiel was sitting by himself, holed up in a small corner of the archives building. This was his favorite spot, mainly because it was out of the way and therefore far from any annoying potential interrupters. And the slightly overstuffed chair occupying the corner certainly didn't hurt either.

He had been reading all morning, a normal occurrence for him, and had worked his way up to a series of older scrolls on various stages of human relationships. He was completely engrossed in his reading, and all of his siblings were either busy with their charges at the moment or (if they were still trainees like him) studying, so he definitely wasn't expecting any disturbances in his out-of-the-way hiding spot.

Therefore it wasn't surprising that he literally jumped in his seat when someone snuck up behind him, saying, "Guess who?" in an enthusiastic voice. Castiel whirled around in his chair, and his mind went numb when he recognized who it was. Gabriel, one of the three Archangels and his direct superior. He hurriedly rolled up the scroll he'd been reading and set it on the table in front of him with shaking hands. He had never been approached by an Archangel before, and he could only think of one reason for Gabriel being here.

"Hello, Gabriel," Castiel answered in a surprisingly steady voice.

"You know why I'm here, don't you, Castiel?" Gabriel was practically bouncing with energy, and Castiel was getting more hopeful by the second.

"Yes, I think so." He was determined to keep calm, cool, and collected, but inside he was a nervous wreck. He had been waiting for this moment for centuries, and he wished Gabriel would just come out and say it instead of prolonging this so much.

"You're being promoted!" Gabriel's booming voice echoed all around the domed building, and Castiel would have winced if he wasn't so busy regulating his breathing. He tried and failed not to smile, and his face broke out in a bright grin that was very rare for him. He couldn't believe this was finally happened.

It occurred to him that he should probably say something and stop staring at Gabriel with a dumb expression on his face. "I-I'm honored. I don't know what to–" Castiel's nervous stuttering was interrupted by a playful eye roll and beckoning gesture from the Archangel.

"You don't need to say anything, stupid. Just follow me!"

Castiel wasted no time jumping up from his chair, almost knocking it over with his rather oversized black wings, and following along beside Gabriel. The Archangel had already started walking, and Castiel had to jog to catch up.

He was expecting to spend the whole walk lost in thought and brimming with barely-controlled excitement, but apparently Gabriel had other ideas. "I bet you're pretty shocked to see me, eh Castiel? You were probably expecting one of my brothers to show up instead. Well I was too, honestly, I can't remember the last time I took a trainee through initiation. Not sure why this time is different, but I guess it's your lucky day. I'm buckets of fun compared to those two."

Gabriel punctuated this by nudging Castiel in his ribs as they walked briskly through the Archives. Apparently he didn't quite know his own strength, or maybe he just didn't care, because Castiel found himself clutching his side and trying not to double over. If Gabriel noticed Castiel's discomfort, he was unconcerned.

They finally reached the wide, oak doors at the front of the building. Gabriel stepped in front of Castiel and pushed the double doors open at the same time in one swooping motion. He glanced back to smirk smugly at his own dramatic flair before turning back around and sweeping off again, leaving Castiel to scurry after him once more.

They made their fast-paced way down the front steps of the Archives, and Castiel stopped at the bottom, assuming they were going to fly the rest of the way. But Gabriel seemed to have other ideas. Stretching his copper wings out behind him, he said, "Nah, let's walk. Fresh air and all that. Besides, we're not in any rush." Needless to say, Castiel was a bit surprised. He'd never met an angel who would choose walking over flying, but he had no complaints.

Gabriel began walking again, although instead of turning right towards the square and the rest of the main buildings, he went left and led Castiel towards the end of the cobbled street. Castiel had never gone far in this direction himself before, but he knew perfectly well where they were headed, and his excitement only increased at the thought.

As they walked, Gabriel continued talking. He didn't seem particularly in need of answers though, so Castiel let him carry the conversation. "You know, Castiel," he was saying as they reached the end of the cobblestone and started onto the thin dirt path ahead of them that wound through a small wood. "I've gotta say I was pretty surprised when I read your file. Two thousand years of training... Seems a little ridiculous if you ask me. But them's the rules I guess. Who knows why Dad works the way he does, 'mysterious ways' and all that, you know? But he's got his reasons, always got a plan up his sleeve. Still, gotta give you your props for not giving up after all that time, woulda driven me crazy."

Castiel was more than a little caught off guard by how candid and open Gabriel was, so different from his fellow Archangels. Michael and Raphael were both known for being austere and commanding, and just the mention of their names scared the angels into obedience. However, he had never seen or heard much of Gabriel. While Michael and Raphael were frequently seen collecting new initiates, Gabriel was only spotted several times a year. The few angels who were picked up by him said that he was very different from his brothers, but Castiel had never understood just how true that was until now. Gabriel might not have been what Castiel was expecting, but he was starting to think he was lucky for being one of Gabriel's initiates.

However, as the odd pair made their way through the wood and Gabriel continued chattering pleasantly, Castiel was beginning to question his situation. He couldn't help but wonder why he was one of the few to be escorted by Gabriel. What set him apart? And as Gabriel had said, he'd been training for thousands of years. Why had God decided today of all days for his promotion?

As intriguing as these questions were, Castiel knew he was unlikely to get any answers, so instead he chose to focus on the thrill he felt as they got closer and closer to their destination. After countless years of waiting and hoping and studying, he was finally here, and he wasn't going to let pointless doubts ruin that.

After a few more minutes and many random turns down paths that were nearly invisible, they reached a massive clearing directly in the middle of the wood. Castiel gazed up in wonder at the largest brick building he had ever seen towering over him. He had never seen it before, but of course he knew exactly what it was. The Command Center.

Gabriel grinned widely at Castiel's reaction and then crossed the clearing to approach the front doors of the building. He knocked once and the doors swung open immediately, almost as if they recognized him somehow. Castiel followed him through the doorway and his mouth nearly dropped at the magnificent foyer.

Eight pure white pillars lined the walls, and a crystal chandelier the size of a small piano was suspended high above the glistening marble floor. Against the opposite wall there were two grand marble staircases that curled from the center of the room up to opposite corners of the space above. Everything was brightly lit by both the chandelier and a series of ornate wall sconces with almost unnaturally vibrant candles.

His eagerness building even more at the impressive sight of the entranceway, Castiel began to lead the way across the room towards the left staircase, much to Gabriel's amusement. The Archangel chuckled before following Castiel.

They walked up the staircase towards a broad hallway. When they reached the top, Gabriel took the lead again and led Castiel across the hallway to an alcove in the opposite wall. There was a spiral staircase inside, with plenty of room on both sides for an angel to fly up through the open space above instead of walk. As they made their way up the staircase, Castiel glanced upward and saw that the staircase spiraled up through the continuing expanse, all the way to the top of the building, with breaks every so often at the next floor.

They continued up the stairs until they had reached the tenth floor, and then they turned left and started down the hallway. While they made their way down the seemingly endless hall, Castiel took in his new surroundings. There was no ornamentation on either side except for some more wall sconces. Instead, there were hundreds of wooden doors, each spaced about five feet apart from each other. Every one had a different number on it in gold plate, but Castiel was confused when he realized that none of them had doorknobs.

"These are all the guarding rooms," Gabriel explained as he saw Castiel looking around. "Every Guardian gets their own, you know. That's where we're headed. Your room."

Castiel couldn't help but smile again at the thought, and he walked even more quickly then. After what must have been at least five minutes of fast-paced walking, they reached a door labeled 10253. Gabriel motioned Castiel over with an eager wave, and when he moved closer, Gabriel grabbed his arm and made him place his hand on a small sensor in the middle of the door, directly under the number. There was a faint beeping noise, and the door swung open. Gabriel dropped his arm, and Castiel looked at him curiously. "What just happened?" he asked.

"You were the first to touch that door Castiel. Now it'll only open when it senses your Grace."

Castiel nodded to show he understood, and then turned his attention fully to the interior of the room. Just one glance inside showed him that it was quite small. When he walked in, the walls on either side of him were only a few inches away if he spread both his arms out. But the room was longer than it was wide, and so if he stood facing one of the side walls he could fully spread his wings.

The room was exceptionally plain, with a hardwood floor and cream-colored walls. The only decorations were a round lamp on the ceiling, a plush high-backed chair, and a small side table standing directly next to it. There was also a small window in the back wall. Gabriel walked in after him and shut the door. He turned to Castiel with another bright smile.

"Okay, you ready for the big moment?"

"Yes, I am." Castiel's heart rate picked up into overdrive. He was finally there, and even with his thousand of years of training and studying and waiting, he suddenly felt utterly unprepared.

Gabriel reached into the pocket inside his suit and pulled out a thin stick with a circular iron pattern on the end. He held it almost ceremoniously in both hands, and Castiel found himself thinking that it felt unnatural to see the energetic Archangel so solemn.

"All right, you might wanna sit down for this."

Castiel obeyed, moving to sit in the chair beneath the window, bracing himself for what he knew was coming, thanks to his siblings' stories about their initiations. He unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt and pulled down the collar to uncover a portion of his chest.

Gabriel carefully placed the patterned end of the stick right below Castiel's collarbone. The Archangel's hand began to glow red, and the iron heated up almost immediately. Castiel winced and almost let out a small groan before stifling it and simply closing his eyes, determined not to show weakness. He wasn't used to enduring this much pain, as usually he would have been able to heal himself right away, but this wound was meant to be permanent.

After what was most likely only half a minute but felt like much longer, the pain abated and Castiel opened his eyes. He cautiously looked down to examine his Halo. It looked identical to his siblings', a circle with beautiful swirling designs and writing in ancient Enochian around the edge, and he reached his hand up in wonder to lightly touch the brand. It was comfortably warm and emitted a low, glowing light. The heat emanating from it gave Castiel the same sensation that comes from sitting in front of a cozy fire.

Gabriel waited while Castiel became adjusted to this new part of himself, but when the other angel met his eyes, he went into instructor-mode. "Congratulations, you're only one step away from becoming one of the big boys. Now all you gotta do is use that thing to find your very own personal human. Take as much time as you need, most take a few weeks to decide."

Gabriel reached out and shook Castiel's hand, all solemnity gone and now replaced by his trademark grin. As Gabriel opened the door and began to leave, he turned back around to say, "I'll be back later to check on you, but you can find your way here tomorrow. Technically I'm supposed to take you here every morning until you're done, but I doubt you need that. And when you find someone just let me know and we'll go get that thing," he gestured at Castiel's Halo, "programmed for you." Then with a one-handed salute, Gabriel walked the rest of the way out of the room and shut the door behind him.

Castiel wasted no time in closing his eyes and focusing his mind, tapping into the Halo's energy. He had done this plenty of times during his training classes, although it was always in theory and never with an actual Halo. He even knew what sensations to expect, but none of that training could prepare him for the explosion of color and light behind his eyelids when the Halo activated.

At first it was just an overwhelming sea of blue and green and red and every other color imaginable. Then, slowly but surely, the colors began to solidify into specific shapes, and within a minute Castiel was viewing a highway full of speeding automobiles. From his vantage point above the highway, he could see for miles.

The elation that Castiel felt at being able to experience this after imagining it for so long was incredible, and he did his best to concentrate through it. He had as long as he needed to find the perfect human for him, but he was still eager to get started with his search.

When he focused, he quickly learned that he was five miles outside Lawrence, Kansas. Now that he knew his location, Castiel felt confident directing his vision towards the city ahead of him and starting towards it, the highway sweeping by smoothly beneath him. He gripped the arms of his chair in anticipation, and quietly murmured, "I suppose Lawrence is as good a place to start as any."


End file.
